Too often in silence. A report on school-based violence in West and Central Africa

Corporal punishment, sexual violence and bullying are some of the areas explored in this joint report by Plan, ActionAid, Save the Children Sweden and UNICEF on school-based violence in West and Central Africa. Aimed at policy makers, education and child protection programmers, as well as educators, children and communities, the report looks at the context and causes of violence in and around schools, its nature, and its impact on students – and more broadly on communities and nations; it synthesises evidence on the prevalence, frequency and intensity of school-based violence and proposes key actions to tackle the problem. Although countries in West and Central Africa have ratified international conventions that protect children’s rights to non-violent education, national provisions to fulfill these rights are often inadequate. The report provides a set of recommendations to strengthen and accelerate interventions against violence in schools across the region.